Following the successful installation of FlexODBC you should immediately tell FlexODBC where your DataFlex data is located! Click on "Start" and "All Programs" and locate the "FlexODBC Driver for DataFlex" program group on your desktop. Click on the "FlexODBC Setup" icon to launch the setup program supplied with FlexODBC.
Click on the "..." button in the FlexODBC Setup to search your system for your DataFlex data setting for DFPath.
Locate the local or remote drive and folder that contains your DataFlex Data. Note: The folder will need to contain a file called "filelist.cfg" in order for FlexODBC to operate. Click on "Open" and "OK" to save the new DFPath.
The DFPath for the Visual DataFlex v10.1 Order Example is shown here.
Step 4 - Seeing your Data Now that DFPath is configured to point to your data, it's time to test your connection. Click on "Start" and "All Programs" and locate the "FlexODBC Driver for DataFlex" program group on your desktop. Click on the "VB Demo" icon to launch the Visual Basic Demo program supplied with FlexODBC.
To establish a connection: From the menu bar select "Connections" | "Add New connection".
Select the "Machine Data Source" tab and "DataFlex Data32" User DSN, Click "OK”.
Click on the "Tables" button to display the list of Tables in your application. The tables from our Visual DataFlex v10.1 Order Example are shown here.
To view the contents of a table, double click on the table name of interest to you, for example "CUSTOMER". The Select statement will change to the name selected, for example "SELECT * FROM CUSTOMER". Click on the "Query" button and the requested query results will appear! In case you're wondering, the * in the SQL Select statement means all columns in that Table.
FlexODBC supports the use of multiple tables and Left Outer Joins. For example, to view all Customers and their Orders, regardless whether they have orders or not, we can type in a complex SQL Statement like the one shown below and execute the query.
The customer "La Avenida Mexican Store" is displayed in a Left Outer Join, even though it has no orders. To disconnect, you can either select "Connections" | "Remove the connection" or Click the "Disconnect" button
Trouble Shooting If you have successfully made a connection in the VB Demo with our test databases but cannot make a connection with your own data, refer to the manual for possible solutions. The FlexODBC Manual is installed with the program and is in a PDF document file which is viewed with Adobe Acrobat. The Adobe Acrobat installer, if you do not have Acrobat Reader, is on the CD-ROM or at www.adobe.com.
If the manual does not address your specific problem contact the dealer or distributor you purchased the product from for further assistance. Any other questions or technical support can be addressed to support@DataAccess.com.au.
DataFlex File Extensions In DataFlex, regardless of the operating system the files and specifically the file extensions are the same. The following is a list of DataFlex files that FlexODBC utilizes in its operation and what they represent:
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FILELIST.CFG - The file that holds the index to all DataFlex database files
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COLLATE.CFG - The file that holds the collating sequence used in indexes
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*.DAT - Files containing the data
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*.VLD - Optional compressed data file used in conjunction with the .DAT
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*.K1 (thru .K15) - Index files for a data file (Index 0 is Record Number)
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*.TAG - Files containing the database field names
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*.INT - Intermediate File containing external database driver information and table configuration details.
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